


the sun rises

by CharlotteDaBookworm



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Angst, Canonical Character Death, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Discussions of marriage, Established Relationship, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Hurt No Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Magical Bond, Men Crying, Nyx Ulric Lives, Nyx Ulric's Self-Esteem, Self-Sacrifice, and he honestly wishes that he doesn't, or attempted
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-04-08
Packaged: 2020-01-06 23:15:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18398330
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CharlotteDaBookworm/pseuds/CharlotteDaBookworm
Summary: dawn comes.the sun rises.nyx ulric lives.





	the sun rises

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own FFXV. This was inspired by that Umbrella Academy scene of Klaus sobbing on the ground

Dawn comes.

 

The sun rises.

 

Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and he stands there before the body of a man that he’d trusted. Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and his limbs shake with exhaustion even as he turns towards the light; awaiting the end, his end. Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and a hand rises to grip the chain around his neck. Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and the magic of the ring rips itself away from his soul. Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and he doesn’t burn.

 

Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and Nyx Ulric doesn’t _die_.

 

Instead, he stands there, staring at the sun, unmoving. Uncaring of the rubble of the city that he’d made a second home in. Uncaring of the corpse of someone he’d called friend cooling behind him. Uncaring of the trembling of his limbs or the pain that wracks his body.

 

He stands there, staring at the sun, and he clutches at metal so hard that the dog tags that the all of Glaive wore cut into skin.

 

Blood slides down his palm, dripping from his hand onto the stone below.

_Drip._

 

He doesn’t loosen his grip.

_Drip_.

 

He clings tighter to the chain.

_Drip._

 

The sound echoes in his mind as each drop falls and Nyx closes his eyes because all he can see is the red _red **red**_ that drips from the blade and _pools_ as the man he loves is tossed aside like he’s nothing, eyes vacant, nothing more than an empty shell.

_Drip_.

 

Silent tears slip down his cheeks.

_Drip._

 

His breath hitches.

_Drip_.

 

He’s alive.

_Drip_.

 

He’s alive. And Regis… The King isn’t. He’s dead. Regis is dead, _murdered_ , and he’s gone and the man who killed him is just as dead – by Nyx’s own hand – but that doesn’t change the fact that he failed, (failed his king, failed the man he loved, failed Noctis, failed the city, failed them all), and Regis is dead, and Nyx is still alive.

_Drip_.

 

His pulse pounds in his ears, drowning out everything but the sound of his own blood striking against stone.

_Drip_.

 

He’s alive. He should be dead, but he’s alive.

_Drip_.

 

Why is he alive? He’d bargained his life away so that he could complete the last wish of the man that he’s sworn everything to and he doesn’t regret it, can’t regret it. But why does he _live?_ The sun is up, and the magic is gone, but he’s alive.

 

He’s alive.

~~…He doesn’t want to be alive~~.

_Drip_.

 

There’s an emptiness in his chest where Regis used to be and his pulse pounds in his ears and every drop of blood on the ground feels like a blow and he can’t breathe.

 

Nyx can’t breathe and he’s alone and Regis is _dead_ because he failed him and all he can see is his face as he told him to run, is his body as he crumpled where he fell, is the stillness and the blood that pooled around him and the sudden gaping _hole_ in his heart where it had once been warm.

 

It hurts.

 

He can’t _breathe_.

 

His knees hit the ground as he shakes with silent sobs, legs no longer able to support his own weight as the last of the rage drains out of him; leaving clawing _grief_ and _loss_ in its place.

 

Nyx claws at the ground, fingers tearing at stone and rubble and leaving bloody trails behind, chest heaving as he sucks in great gasping breaths and tries to _breathe_ past the tears and the weight in his chest and the emptiness.

 

It doesn’t work.

~~Of course, it doesn’t.~~

 

Collapsing, curling up into a ball and pressing his face against the ground even while he clutches tighter to the chain, he shudders; tears streaming down his face.

 

A whine builds, low in his throat, and it’s a terrible grief-filled thing but Nyx doesn’t even try to catch it behind his teeth.

 

Because Regis is dead.

 

And Nyx had failed him.

~~Because Nyx had failed him. _He’s dead because you failed him_.~~

 

“ _I’m sorry_ ,” he whimpers, curling tighter as he trembles, rocking in place in pain and loss and grief. He brings his hand up to his face, pressing the bloody chain to his mouth. _“I love you, I failed you, I’m so sorry…_ ” He gasps against the ring.

 

The ring that Regis had given him.

~~Just like Nyx had given him his beads.~~

 

The ring that Nyx had never been able to wear openly.

~~Just as Regis would never have the chance to.~~

 

The ring, _this ring_ , that Regis had picked out for him and given to him with a question that had made him so nervous and Nyx hadn’t hesitated to say yes, to reciprocate like he had been wanting to do because he had given that man his forever a long time ago and this was just making it _official_.

 

The ring that is the only thing that Nyx has left of his husband.

 

Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and he clutches the ring close and _clings_ to it with the desperation of a starving man.

 

Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and he lives.

 

Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and he wishes that he doesn’t.

 

Dawn comes, and the sun rises, and Nyx Ulric curls up on the ground and he _sobs_.

_“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I love you, I’m so sorry, I love you so much, I’m sorry I wasn’t strong enough, I’m sorry I didn’t save you, I’m sorry I failed you, I love you so much, I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m **sorry** …_”

**Author's Note:**

> finally cross-posting this over from tumblr after a brief edit
> 
> the ending is open to interpretation; what Nyx does next - whether he lives or dies, whether he goes to find Libs or Noct or even Regis' body - is entirely up to you
> 
> ...one of these days, i am going to write a completely happy regis/nyx fic - no angst. i swear. one day, it'll happen, even if i have to perform a blood sacrifice or something.
> 
> anyway, tell me what you think :D


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